One evening one of the scouts came in and reported having seen a
little band of Indians some twelve or fifteen miles south of the
trail. The other three scouts that were out with him remained to
watch the Indians while he came to report. The scout was not able
to tell just the number, as they were some distance away. The
other three scouts secreted their horses, crawled to the top of
the highest hill near by and lay there in the sagebrush and with
glasses watched the Indians, who were traveling almost in the
direction where the scouts lay, bearing a little south, so that
the scouts did not have to change their hiding place. I mounted my
horse for the first time since I had been laid up, and in company
with five other scouts, including the one who had brought the
message to me, started to investigate the matter.
We rode to where the other three scouts had been left, and they
were awaiting our arrival. They had lain on the hill and watched
the Indians go into camp and then returned to where the dispatch
bearer had left them.
After holding a council for about five minutes we all mounted and
rode as near the Indians as we considered safe, and dismounted.
Taking another scout who had been watching them, I crawled as near
as we dared to their camp to try to ascertain their number. We
decided that there were about fifty. It was perilous to get very
close for the reason that the Indians had a number of dogs, and
when we would get too near the dogs would begin to bark, and three
or four Indians would raise up and look about and every Indian in
the band would listen.
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